


While the Oceans Rose, We Drank Obliviously

by blessende



Series: Searching for Levi [9]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 15:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14918048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessende/pseuds/blessende
Summary: Black Knight plays first for a change. Set in the Searching for Levi universe. Year 2008.





	While the Oceans Rose, We Drank Obliviously

While the Oceans Rose, We Drank Obliviously

~.~

 

 

Dita Ness turned off the projector and turned to his class with a slow, burgeoning smile. 'There you have it, folks,' he said, clapping his hands in flourish. 'The socio-political implications of Cold War, how the animosity between the east and the west benefited Space programs on Earth. And how our Earthborn landlubbers,' he chuckled at his witty invention, '–took their first teeny tiny steps into the greater universe,' he nodded thoughtfully. 'Of course, Earthborns never caught up with Titan's astronomical speeds but still, it was an effort to be applauded, wasn't it?' he turned to the class, beaming at all his students. 'Any last questions, PeaceCorps?'

Frank raised his hand.

'Sir! I've got a question,' said the boy and gave his brethren a meaningful glance. Everyone sat up in attention while Frank puffed up his chest, clearing his throat with an 'ahem'. 'And I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking it. Why exactly do we need to know this? I mean, it's not like I'm going to be the one posted on Jaeger's Neanderthal planet.'

There were snickers and Eren's angry face bobbed up.

'Hey,' warned the boy, turning in his seat to give his classmate the evil eye. 'Watch it!'

Frank wasn't one to easily back down. 'Oops, correction,' he said, feigning a thin lipped smile. 'I meant Planet of the Apes,' amended the boy with a snicker.

'You want to try saying that to my face, Frankie?'

Frank pointed everyone's attention to Eren.

'See what I mean? Neanderthal!'

The instructor sighed and broke up the fight before it could even properly begin. While Dita Ness spent the next few minutes lecturing about the importance of cultural tolerance, Marco glanced up at the digital clock, reading the time. A look of surprise crossed his features.

'Lieutenant,' he said, pointing to the clock. 'We've still got an hour to go. Do you have something else on the agenda for today?'

There was a collective hiss, and soon enough, Annie's origami plane nosedived into the back of Marco's head. The freckled boy turned in his seat and shot her an apologetic smile.

'Nerd,' mouthed Annie with a shake of her head.

Dita Ness, on the hand, seemed pleased by his student's eagerness to learn more. He gave a shaky smile and glanced at the door.

'Ah, yes, I did that on purpose, Marco. As for the agenda, we are going to be having a guest speaker today. Especially since you all will be receiving your enlistment orders tomorrow,' the man with the bandana said, beaming at them with an enthusiastic smile. 'I thought it'd be a morale booster if someone from the field could come and talk to you,' his eyes brightened as he caught sight of the shadow at the door. 'And by Ness, here he is,' said their instructor. Dita hurried over to greet the person outside the classroom.

Marco felt an elbow jab into him, and the freckled boy found Eren leaning over.

'I bet you ten quid,' said Eren with a smug grin. 'It's gonna be Keith Shadis come to scare us to death. You game?'

Before Marco could decide, he caught sight of the man entering the classroom. He grinned.

'Brace yourself, Eren. You owe me ten.'

When the young cadet turned to the front of class, Eren realised what Marco meant. Or why the rest of the Training Corps class were sniggering behind his back.

A familiar figure stood on the platform, arms folded and a stern expression on his face. He looked serious yet out of sorts with the situation, his one hand scratching a clean shaven chin. Eren's guardian wasn't in uniform, opting to wear what he termed as casual– a plain white shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows and dark trousers. Levi glanced churlishly at all of them.

'Seems like I'll be spending my precious–' he paused to glare at Dita here. '– my precious afternoon with you bright cupcakes.'

Silence met this greeting.

'My name is Levi. Lance Corporal, Corporal, that goddam motherfucker. Whatever you want to call me,' he smirked. 'I am your guest speaker for today. I don't know about morale boosting, but I know what it's like to work on the field and how not to die. So, shoot your questions and make it snappy. The quicker, the better. So Dita here can tuck you kids to bed and I can go home.'

The class was dead-silent, and Eren gulped when he felt eyes boring into his back. Everyone, no, really, everyone knew about his oh-so-obvious crush on their senior. Though going by the man's sullen disposition, they might also be wondering why. A few of the Corps were even aware of Levi being sanctioned as his guardian (Eren's trial had been a raging rumour in the squadron) and had earned Eren a notorious reputation. Annie taunted him about the lunch dates, Marco not far behind. All in all, his love life (or the lack of it) was the talk of town.

But what no one knew about... was what had transpired over the course of the last two months. That by some stroke of luck, his feelings were actually reciprocated. (At least, he hoped so. Levi had a way of keeping him grappling for straws). It was a closely guarded secret, and Eren intended to keep it that way.

The Q&A session began with fervor. Questions came concerned with protocols, incident management and experiences that Levi could share from his years of service.

Eren kept his head down, trying to keep out of the rousing discussion, not wanting to garner attention to himself. He picked up his redux pen and twirled it between his fingers, keeping his head low... out of the glare of the public eye.

Yeah, not as easy as he thought.

Especially with dipshits like Frank around.

The sly little fox raised his grubby paw.

'Levi, sir,' the fox spoke up until their mentor's attention was on him. Frank grinned and jabbed a thumb in Eren's direction. 'Is it true you are Jaeger's guardian? I mean... how does that work since he's turned eighteen? Is he still under your wing?'

Eren pressed a hand to his face, sinking lower into his seat.

So much for avoiding the public eye.

He thought the older man would ignore the question, skim over it or something. But instead, Levi tackled it head on.

'Not wrong, cadet,' Levi answered without blinking. 'I am the twerp's guardian. Whether he is of legal age or not... is immaterial. As long as he remains a brat and has trouble following rules, he'll remain my responsibility,' Eren heard him chuckle. 'Whether he likes it or not,' Levi added in a low voice.

Frank seemed to have opened the floodgates. Thomas raised his hand next.

'Since we're on the topic, sir, we've heard some rumours and want to hear the truth from you. Is it true... that he broke into your apartment?'

Eren scrunched up his face and passed Thomas the dirtiest look he could muster. But everyone ignored him and waited patiently for Levi's answer.

The man didn't disappoint as he returned a curt nod.

'More times than once,' Levi confided. 'I'm not sure if it was an attempt on my chastity, but he learnt his lesson,' Levi turned to meet Eren's gaze for the first time. 'We did learn our lesson, didn't we, soldier?'

The class sniggered again and the teenager turned mortified.

Eren looked at the older man and glared. A glare that he hoped would get his message across.

WHY? Why did you have to tell them that for?

Before he was even done, Marco was straining to be allowed the next question.

Levi nodded and gestured to go ahead.

Marco cleared his throat, watching Eren carefully from the corner of his eyes.

'If you don't mind me asking, sir,' Marco trailed, choosing his words carefully. 'What's your relationship status? Some of us would really like to know,' asked the freckled boy, winking at Eren in good humour.

Eren exhaled deeply and kept his green gaze fixed on his desk.

He expected Levi to crack a joke or dismiss it altogether.

But instead, his pokerfaced guardian swept a look at the whole class.

'I am sure that piece of information won't save your skin out on the field,' he paused briefly at Eren, finding the boy folded into a defensive little ball. He turned back to Marco and shrugged in nonchalance. 'But if you kids are dying to know, I am... committed.'

There was a long, hard silence and Eren felt something twist in his stomach.

Did he hear that... right?

There was a murmur of excitement, and Eren felt hands patting his shoulder in consolation.

'To?' asked Hannah.

Levi let out a grunt as his gaze darted around the classroom.

'That's for me to know and for you cupcakes to never find out. Are we done here?'

The class protested when Levi brought the Q&A hour to an abrupt close.

 

 

 

 

 

That same evening, in the apartment #1263, Helum Towers, Gale announced the arrival of a visitor, withholding their name. He didn't really need the name. After all, he could recognise the visitor from their frenzied knocking. Levi swung the door open with a sense of apprehension. And sure enough, there was his ward, face flushed and heaving... looking like he'd just run the mile race.

'Okay,' the peacekeeper announced breathlessly, his weight supported by one hand on the door frame. Eren took a deep breath in and launched into a rally of a monologue. 'Before you say anything,' Eren began, not giving him the chance to speak. 'I can't stay long either. Because I've still got a curfew even though I am joining YOUR squad tomorrow while Marco thinks I am visiting Mrs. Norman, who is my aunt twice removed... Don't even ask where I got that idea from or how Marco even bought it but... BUT,' the boy paused, taking another deep breath in to calm his nerves. 'But I HAD to come over after the bomb you friggin' dropped on me. It's been eating me alive, so... yeah, here I am.'

There was an awkward pause.

Levi leaned against the door frame, amazed at the boy's ability to smoothtalk. 'Right. So... here you are,' he observed, echoing the boy's words with a small smile. 'And what?' he prompted.

Eren nodded grudgingly, turquoise green eyes screening the hallway behind them. He turned back to the guardian, avoiding the man's shrewd grey gaze 'Well, you said you are committed...' the teenager trailed, as if waiting for Levi to take it back.

Thankfully, the older didn't refute it.

But neither did he say anything more.

'I am...' admitted Levi with surprising coolness. For one short moment, Eren's spirits soared like a turbojet on a field day... until the man dropped yet another bomb. 'But I don't see how that concerns you, sunshine.'

The teenager stared, watching Levi's expression carefully. He guessed the man was joking. Eren could only hope he was joking.

'Right,' said the peacekeeper with a roll of his eyes. 'So, if it doesn't concern me, who should it concern, sir?'

Levi smirked.

'A big, busty blonde from the intelligence department.'

There was a stiff silence and the teenager glared at him.

'Oh yeah?' Eren piped indignantly and sucked in a harsh breath. 'Wow, because I could have sworn that you liked guys. You know, young innocent boys taller than you,' his gaze softened and he turned a little embarrassed. 'Boys who'd totally not mind if you uh... took advantage of their innocence and corrupted them a little.'

Levi raised an eyebrow.

'You make me sound like a pedophile creep.'

Eren fought the urge to smile.

'You know what I mean, Corporal,' he said with a wink.

There was another of those awkward silences, where rebuttals and comebacks melted away into wordless conversations. And all they could do was gaze at each other, waiting for the other to make their first move. It was a game not new to both. Eren had been playing the white pawn for too long and something told him... yeah, something told him that this might just be the night for black to make his move.

He wasn't far off the mark.

Because if there was one thing he knew about his black knight, Levi didn't believe in wasting time.

The older smirked and reached forward with one hand. He caught the boy's collar and attempted to straighten the lapel. And when he'd fixed the collar and smoothed down the messy hair, Levi lingered, watching Eren for a long moment. Green eyes were wide with surprise and anticipation. Hell, he might as well give in to the silent request. With a wayward sigh, he drew the boy in closer to get his message across. It had come to Levi's understanding that actions worked better with this dense ward of his... than anything else.

He let his mouth ghost over Eren's, giving the boy ample opportunity to pull back.

Eren's breath hitched but he didn't pull back. Instead, letting bravery and his impatience take the better of him, Eren closed the distance between them.

Levi wasn't the least bit surprised.

When they broke apart after some time, Levi took a moment to admire his handiwork.

Eren was more flushed than he'd started, if it were possible. And his hair messier than before.

'You're going to be late for your curfew,' reminded the guardian.

But the boy wasn't listening. The teenager licked his lips in a daze.

'Eren,' hissed Levi, a smile escaping him.

'Hm?... what?'

'Curfew, brat.'

'Curfew?' the keeper echoed and blinked. 'CURFEW... shit, yeah... yeah, I guess I have to go.'

The teenager pulled back to leave. But before he could reach the waiting elevator, he paused in his steps and turned to give the owner of 1263 a fleeting look.

'Uh, just to be clear, when you said you're committed... it's to me, right?'

The older man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Dammit, Eren.'

The boy balked.

'Fine, FINE... I was just checking.'

 

 

 

 

 

'Albizia Saman,' announced Armin, flipping through the pages of his black book. He found the entry and with his eyebrows drawn into a crease, he began reading the description. 'Saman is a wide-canopied tree with a large symmetrical crown... crown?,' he frowned before resuming, 'It reaches a height of 60 feet and the leaves fold in rainy weather or in the evening time, hence the name 'rain tree' and '5 o clock tree'. So, according to this...' Armin gestured to the big log of wood standing before them. He didn't need to finish.

The two boys stopped at the foot of the trunk and looked up at the tree's canopy. Next, they turned to their watches, reading the time.

'It's five,' said Eren to no one in particular. 'I don't know about you, Armin, but I don't see any folding.'

The blond agreed with him.

'Yeah, well... Maybe it's a seasonal thing,' Armin shrugged as he finished circling the tree. It was then that he caught sight of Eren's watch, noticing it for the first time. His gaze narrowed in suspicion.

'Whoa. You got a new watch? How come you never told me?!'

Eren stiffened and dropped his arm, hiding the watch from view.

'About that... It was uh... a present from Hannes.'

Armin, of course, was more intuitive than Eren gave him credit for. The boy gauged his best friend in silent scrutiny before letting out a thoughtful hum.

'I didn't think a police officer made much,' said Armin and waited for his friend to slip up.

'Yeah, me neither,' said the brunet, his ears going red.

Bingo, there was the incriminating evidence he needed, Armin thought to himself... but he didn't press on the topic. Watching Eren from the corner of his eyes, the blond began to set down their heavy camping bags.

'So, what's with this sudden camping trip?' Armin asked as he unrolled their sleeping bags. 'You're gone for three months. No messages, email, nothing. It's like you disappeared from the face of the earth–' Armin frowned when he found Eren smiling. 'Okay, what? What's so funny? Was it something I said?'

Eren returned a solemn smile but didn't reveal what exactly he'd found ticklish.

'No, s-sorry,' said the brunet with a sigh. 'Besides, I told you, didn't I? I am on a fast track military programme.'

'Oh yeah, a fast track military programme happening where?' demanded Armin. 'I googled it, buster and NOTHING came up.'

And here, Eren eluded him with yet another vague answer of his.

'Because it's confidential. They're not gonna talk about military camps on the internet.'

Armin huffed.

'Right. As if you're being scouted by the CIA or something.'

Eren grinned as he turned to his friend.

'What?' the blond asked suspiciously. 'No, please don't tell me you are getting scouted by the CIA.'

Eren paused to glance at him and turning dead serious all of a sudden, Eren asked him a very strange question.

'Would you believe me if I told you that... I'm training to protect Earth?'

Armin waited for for Eren to call it a joke. But he did nothing of the sort.

'You mean like a super hero school?' Armin suggested.

The brunet kept quiet but his grin got wider.

'Yep. Something like that,' Eren confided, waiting for his friend to react.

There was a small silence before Armin shook his head. 'O–kay. I think it's time we told Mrs. Jaeger to stop letting you read comics.'

And yet the whole night, while their camp fire smoked its final breath and Armin battled with giant ants and killer mosquitoes, Eren did not seem perturbed in the slightest. The teenager kept smiling as he looked at the stars. The Pleiades, the North Star, the Big Dipper... he pointed them all out to Armin, until his best friend called it a night and began to doze off.

'Armin?' Eren hissed.

'Hm?' answered a groggy Armin. 'Wha- What... now?'

He heard the smile in Eren's answer.

'I think I'm in trouble,' the teenager said. 'Not the bad kind of trouble. But... the good kind. Know what I mean?'

Silence followed those words, the sort of silence that belonged in the woods, punctuated by the sounds of nature. They could hear the frogs croaking and the sound of a gurgling stream not far away.

'Eren...' called the blond as he swatted at another mosquito.

'Hm?'

'Know what I think?' asked Armin, trying to sound not too bitter.

Eren decided to play along.

'What?'

'Next time you want to go all SURVIVOR, can you pick someone else, you goddam ass.'

Armin was miffed to hear his best friend laugh.

'I'll try, Armin. I'll try.'

It was one of those halfhearted promises that Eren Jaeger could never keep.

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> For firejiya :)


End file.
